I219-V/I225-V connected to NetGear JGS524Ev2 losing connection with v27.3 drivers on Windows 11

[AndyMac60]

After a lot of testing and discussions between Intel and Asus (motherboard vendor) I want to report that I am still having issues with the latest Intel drivers for I219-V and especially I225-V onboard adapters. I have confirmed that the adapters are all using the latest NVM/firmware and that the issue does NOT happen with the Windows 11 OOTB drivers.

Full setup is as follows:

• Asus ROG STRIX Z590-E (with 2x I225-V adapters, one connected)
• Asus ROG MAXIMUS XI-Hero (with I219-V adapter)
• Asus ROG MAXIMUS X-Code (with I219-V adapter)

all on the latest BIOS, running Windows 11 latest build (Release Candidate Insider) and all of them connected to a NetGear JGS524Ev2 gigabit switch which is running its latest firmware and has been checked with NetGear support via a remote support session.

When running Windows 11 OOTB drivers everything is working fine and connections are stable and do not drop.

When using the Intel drivers, or the ASUS OEM version of the Intel drivers (possibly even since v26.x, although can't be specific around timing as has seemed to get worse over time) and certainly with the v27.2 and v27.3 drivers --- the network connection will get dropped and show as disconnected on Windows after the device has been sleeping (typically longer times of sleep, have tried with hybrid sleep enabled or disabled). The driver does not show an error and the switch shows the connection as "live" but the connection is shown as "no network" in Windows.

I have also raised this with NetGear to see if they are aware of, or can reproduce the issue - but would also like to understand if Intel (or anyone else on the forum) has seen this behaviour and whether this has been with NetGear, or any similar, switches. 

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities.

Please provide the following information that would help in checking your request. 

1. What is the exact issue that you encountered on your system? Is the disconnection issue randomly occurs? If no, how often does the issue occurs?

2. You mentioned below statement, does this mean that you had discussed this issue before with Intel? If yes, do you still have the link of the discussion so we can check as well?

After a lot of testing and discussions between Intel and Asus (motherboard vendor) I want to report that I am still having issues with the latest Intel drivers for I219-V and especially I225-V onboard adapters.

3. When was the issue first encountered?

4. Do your systems have wireless connection? If yes, do you encounter the same disconnection issue using wireless?

Awaiting to hear from you. 

Should there be no response from you, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

1. Disconnection occurs: on the I225-V pretty much every night when it is on standby over-night, and even if leaving for a few hours on standby during the day.; on the I219-V much more randomly, but again after the PC has been on standby.

2. Yes, discussed with Intel, https://community.intel.com/t5/Ethernet-Products/Driver-27-2-for-Windows-11-repeatedly-disappears-errors-after/m-p/1380581/emcs_t/S2h8ZW1haWx8dG9waWNfc3Vic2NyaXB0aW9ufEwySlEyRlhNNjNYUkxRfDEzODA1ODF8U1VCU0NSSVBUSU9OU3xoSw#M29148

3. That's one I can't be 100% sure about - I had seen connections dropping with the NetGear switch, mainly from the I225-V connections (but again sometimes from others) but had thought at the time that it was the NetGear switch starting to have issues. I raised this with NetGear on 23 March 2022, although I had seen this a few times before then - it just seemed to be getting more regular. This was almost certainly after I had installed Windows 11 (but can't be 100% sure) on the PC with the I225-V, all the other PCs were on Windows 11 by then anyway.

4. No, the wireless is not dropping - in fact, I was often going through the process of uninstalling the Intel drivers and then using WiFi to be able to reinstall the Windows 11 default drivers over it.

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the swift reply. 

Just to confirm, have you followed the suggestions from link below? You may skip the steps that you tried already and let us know of the result. If you do and issue still occurs, please advise. If not yet, we highly suggest performing the steps above and ensure to disable 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' on advanced properties of the Intel® Ethernet Controller.

Intel® Ethernet Connection I219-V Intermittently Disconnects from the Internet

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000059067/ethernet-products/gigabit-ethernet-controllers-up-to-2-5gbe.html

Looking forward to your reply. 

Should there be no response from you, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

• Use a known working Local Area Network (LAN) cable. DONE
• Update the driver to its latest version. DONE – THE ISSUE IS WITH THE LATEST DRIVERS
• Ensure that Speed & Duplex settings on the Advanced tab property of the Intel® Ethernet Controller is set to Auto Negotiation. Forcing link can result in a speed-duplex mismatch. This is common when one device is set to forced and its link partner is set as Auto-Negotiate. DONE – TESTED IN BOTH MODES AND BOTH HAVE THE ISSUE
• Test the connection using wireless to further isolate the issue. WIRELESS WORKS FINE
• Disable Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power on advanced properties of the Intel® Ethernet Controller. DONE – TESTED IN BOTH MODES AND BOTH HAVE THE ISSUE
• Ensure that Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is updated to its latest version. For the specifics on the BIOS update, contact the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). DONE – ALWAYS KEPT UPDATED TO LATEST BIOS
• Check if the issue would still occur while the antivirus firewall is turned off. If it fixes the issue, this could be related to antivirus software that is having an issue with the latest drivers. We highly recommend that you contact the antivirus software manufacturer for further assistance. USING BUILT-IN WINDOWS 11 FIREWALL
• Test the connection on a different router or another port from the router. TESTED FROM ANOTHER PORT – SAME ISSUE
• If the issue still occurs, contact your motherboard manufacturer for further assistance as the controller is embedded to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) system. HAVE DONE THIS AND AM WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL BUT NEED INTEL TO LOOK AT THIS AS IT IS INTEL (AND INTEL OEM DRIVER) SPECIFIC – WINDOWS 11 OOTB DRIVERS DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM ON ANY OF THE MACHINES

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the prompt and detailed reply. 

Just a quick clarification before we further check this with our engineers. You mentioned on second bullet that 'THE ISSUE IS WITH THE LATEST DRIVERS'. Can you confirm if the issue is not present on older drivers? If yes, can you share the older driver version where the issue does not occur and the controllers worked fine?

Hoping to hear form you. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't receive a reply. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

Working fine with version I225-V driver 1.0.2.14 and I219-V driver 12.19.1.37 - these are the latest Windows 11 delivered Intel drivers.

I also think (but can't test) that is was working OK with some of the earlier v26.x Intel drivers.

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the swift reply. 

Please allow us to check this with our engineers. Rest assured that we will get back to you no later than 2-3 business days. 

Hoping for your kind patience. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the patience on this matter. 

Please see below suggestion from our engineers and feel free to let us know if you have questions or clarifications.

Please try the clean driver installation and reinstall 27.3 on both i225-v and i229-v controllers.

Refer to this link for Clean Driver Installation Guide for Intel® Ethernet Connections (for this procedure, remove all temp files)

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058304/ethernet-products.html

Intel® Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Pack

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15084/intel-ethernet-adapter-complete-driver-pack.html?wapkw=Intel%C2%AE%20Ethernet%20Controller%20I225-V

If this does not work, leave the 27.3 installed and in the Device Manager, open the "Ethernet Controller Properties", under Power Management Tab > Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". Reboot and check if the connection will still disconnect after sleep.

Looking forward to your reply.

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

I have already done both these tests with no change to behaviours.

I have also done some tests (on the I225-V motherboard) moving its connection from the NetGEAR switch to directly connect to the router (FritzBox 7590) and the problem still occurred, so it does not appear to be a switch-related issue.

I am now started to test Windows 11 22H2 (now it's been released on the Release Preview ring) on my PCs, starting with one of the machines with an I219-V onboard adapter. Installed yesterday and 27.3 installed on it AFTER the upgrade.

I will be monitoring this (both 22H2 in general and the Intel driver) for a few days before installing 22H2 on the music production PC and will then test to see if it is more reliable there.

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the update and we are sorry to hear that the recommendations did not work.

We will patiently wait for your update regarding your test on Windows 11 22H2 and make a follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Feel free to let us know if you have additional questions or clarifications. 

Looking forward to hear an update from you.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

Update re Windows 11 22H2 - installed it on the machine with the I225-V adapters on Friday and to date, the connection drops have not occurred. Occasionally when it comes out of sleep the network icon shows not connected for a few seconds but then connects OK so maybe they have made the process more robust in 22H2?

Will keep monitoring to make sure that the backups work correctly overnight (which brings the PC out of sleep for the backup to run) and will update this thread once it has been running for a week or so.

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the update.

We will keep this thread open and wait for your update. We will make a follow up after a week in case we don't hear from you. 

Feel free to let us know if you have additional questions or clarifications. 

Awaiting to hear from you soon. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Good day!

This is just a follow up to check for the current status of your system after monitoring it using Windows 11 22H2. We would highly appreciate if you can share some update so we can continue checking this request. 

Awaiting to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[AndyMac60]

A couple of updates:

1. PC with I225-V adapters on motherboard - seems stable with v27.3 drivers and Windows 11 22H2 although I do shutdown and restart this regularly as I have a ThunderBolt connected Pro Audio unit connected and it needs power cycle to connect sometimes - so I'm not 100% convinced this is completely fixed on the I225-V but it certainly does appear to be at least better.
2. PC with I219-V adapter on motherboard - this showed the same problem with v27.3 drivers on Windows 11 22H2 as 22H1 after a few more days, so I have removed v27.3 drivers and reverted to Windows 11 OOTB drivers on this, with no problems showing.

The issue therefore does still appear to be there in Windows 11 22H2, although the behaviour potentially is better managed by Windows 11 22H2 around bringing networks up after sleep, and therefore reduced in frequency.

It is also worth adding that I have been working with Asus, and they have been testing and have now been able to reproduce the issue across a number of motherboards, including on non-Asus motherboards, and so Asus are formally raising it with yourselves with all their findings (see email extracts below).

Specifically, the details of the issue are called out in nice detail: "we have found that after the PC went into sleep mode for more than two hours and then woke up, there is possibility that there is no network, but LAN cable still connected, the LAN LED displayed normally, but no network is available". There is therefore clearly an underlying issue with the Intel drivers which needs fixing. Hopefully, with the input from Asus after their testing and ability to reproduce the issue, you will be able to work on getting a fix. 

Below is extract of the emails about this from 15/06/2022 and 20/06/2022:

"Hello Andrew,
We have tried to duplicate the issue and we have found that after the PC went into sleep mode for more than two hours and then woke up, there is possibility that there is no network, but LAN cable still connected, the LAN LED displayed normally, but no network is available. We have send the above to GTSD (Global Technical Service Department) for analysis.

....

After tests and analysis, we found that this problem related to the Intel driver. 

We tried with other non-ASUS MB and we've got same problem. 

We already feedback this issue to Intel for debug.

I will update to you again when I receive  further information

Kind Regards,
ASUS UK Support team
Email: https://www.asus.com/uk/support/
Website: www.asus.com"

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Thank you for the prompt reply. 

Please allow to to re-escalate this request to our engineers. Rest assured that we will get back to you once we heard from them but no later than 3 business days.

Hoping for your kind patience. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support 

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

How are you doing? I hope this message finds you well!

Please be informed that this request is still currently being attended by our engineers. Rest assured that we will let you know once we heard from them. Please expect another update no later than 3 business days. 

Thank you for your kind understanding. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Good day!

We'd like to inform you that we are still actively working on this issue with our higher level Engineers. We understand that this is taking longer than you expect and rest assured that we are doing our best to sort this out as soon as possible. We will keep you posted and get back to you within 2-3 business days.

Thank you for the patience. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Please accept our apologies for the delay on this matter.

Our engineers are still checking on this one and we ask for your kind cooperation to give us more time with investigation. Rest assured that we will give you an update as soon as we heard from them but no later than 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Good day!

Please be informed that we are still actively working on this issue for you with our higher level Engineers to sort this out as soon as possible. We highly appreciate your patience on this matter. 

Please expect another update for the status of this request no later than 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello AndyMac60,

Apologies for the delay and inconvenience caused on this matter. 

This request is still under investigation by our engineers. We will give you an update once we heard feedback from them. Please expect another message regarding the status of this request within 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support